Farmer union AgriSA has sounded the alarm over the Draft Mineral Resources Development Amendment Bill (2025), warning that its current form poses serious threats to South Africa’s agricultural sector, food security and rural livelihoods.
By Lebogang Mashala, Editor at African Farming
Published for public comment in May 2025 by the Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources, the Draft Mineral Resources Development Amendment Bill aims to streamline regulation and promote inclusive economic development. However, AgriSA argues that several provisions could have devastating consequences for farming communities, particularly in high-potential agricultural areas.
Key among these is a clause allowing artisanal and small-scale mining operations to access private agricultural land without clear guidelines on meaningful consultation or compensation requirements, a move the union says undermines constitutionally protected property rights.
Other major concerns include the absence of cumulative environmental impact assessments, lack of enforceable rehabilitation guarantees and the failure to conduct a socio-economic impact assessment (SEIA) as required by Cabinet policy. Without such an assessment, AgriSA warns, the risks to food production, water quality and rural livelihoods have been ignored.
The union also points to persistent challenges in the mining-agriculture interface, including fragmented permitting systems, opaque consultation processes and weak enforcement mechanisms. In many cases, mining activities have damaged irrigation infrastructure, polluted water sources and left land unrehabilitated, compromising both current and future agricultural productivity.
AgriSA’s recommendations to government include:
- Withdrawing the current Bill and conducting a full SEIA;
- Requiring binding landowner consent for mining on zoned agricultural land;
- Aligning mining legislation with the Preservation and Development of Agricultural Land Act;
- Establishing a single-window permitting system with integrated land-use screening; and
- Enforcing cumulative environmental and water impact assessments for all mining activities.
“South Africa’s future depends on a balanced approach to resource development that respects the rights of farmers, protects the environment and ensures long-term food security,” AgriSA said in a statement. The organisation has urged all stakeholders to press government for a transparent, properly regulated mining industry that can coexist with agriculture.
